By focusing on writing good fiction as much as on evoking a particular historical period, the authors draw young readers in, creating characters that deal with the normal aspects of growing up as well as the turmoil of the Great Depression, the first Pilgrim winter, the Indian Wars, etc. The Dear America books (and their supporting series) definitely avoid the latter pitfall. Most children are interested in history if it's presented in an engaging way and not as a list of facts to memorize. Branching into world history, The Royal Diaries are just what they sound like-fictional diaries "penned" by significant female royalty throughout history in their girlhood. The My Name Is America books continue the same idea with boy instead of girl narrators.
The Dear America books themselves are presented as the diaries of young girls from the full spectrum of American history and geography. Which may be surprising, since diversity of authors usually leads to a weak link or two-here, however, it simply means readers won't get bored with the excellent variety.Ī number of sub-series fall under the Dear America heading. They also make great entertainment, and while none of the titles are likely to become classics of any kind, the quality of each volume is high and parents don't need to worry about a lot of inappropriate material. Obviously extensively researched, these shouldn't be used as a primary source for history study but could act as supplements when studying particular stages of our nation's history. The style of each volume reflects the class and context of the narrator, adding to the overall authentic historical feel. Stories appear in the form of diaries, so while there may not be dry facts presented in isolation, there are dates to offer perspective to easily confused young readers. Not that those topics are left out-while the narrators of each story are fictitious, many of the events they participate in are historically significant moments, from Civil War battles to the Oregon Trail to rationing on the home front during World War II. And you don't have to worry about bad language, sexual content, too much violence, inappropriate romantic relationships, or any other gratuitous elements unsavory for adolescent readers *. For another thing, children will get a good sense of a period of American history without wading through political and military facts. For one thing, it's well-written-a variety of successful children's book authors were employed to write individual volumes in the series, writers as diverse as Mary Pope Osborne, Karen Hesse and Lois Lowry to name a few. This isn't your typical historical fiction.
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